Gamma-ray Bursts:Progresses at Purple Mountain Observatory

gamma 光线爆炸 GRB 是作为爆炸的结果发生的 gamma 光线的极其发光的闪光，并且被认为与一个黑洞的形成被联系。大多数 GRB 是离开土的十亿光年，暗示爆炸两个都是极其精力充沛的典型爆炸在它的全部 10-billion-year 与阳光愿望比在一些秒释放同样多精力一生和极其稀罕的一些每星系每百万年。关于 GRB 的研究吸引了宽注意。为生长磁盘上的专家，

Two methods for separating the magnetospheric solar wind charge exchange soft X-ray emission from the diffuse X-ray background

Solar wind charge exchange(SWCX)is the process of solar wind high-valence ions exchanging charges with neutral components and generating soft X-rays.Recently,detecting the SWCX emission from the magnetosphere is proposed as a new technique to study the magnetosphere using panoramic soft X-ray imaging.To better prepare for the data analysis of upcoming magnetospheric soft X-ray imaging missions,this paper compares the magnetospheric SWCX emission obtained by two methods in an XMM-Newton observation,during which the solar wind changed dramatically.The two methods differ in the data used to fit the diffuse X-ray background(DXB)parameters in spectral analysis.The method adding data from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey(RASS)is called the RASS method.The method using the quiet observation data is called the Quiet method,where quiet observations usually refer to observations made by the same satellite with the same target but under weaker solar wind conditions.Results show that the spectral compositions of magnetospheric SWCX emission obtained by the two methods are very similar,and the changes in intensity over time are highly consistent,although the intensity obtained by the RASS method is about 2.68±0.56 keV cm^(-2)s^(-1)sr^(-1)higher than that obtained by the Quiet method.Since the DXB intensity obtained by the RASS method is about 2.84±0.74 keV cm^(-2)s^(-1)sr^(-1)lower than that obtained by the Quiet method,and the linear correlation coefficient between the difference of SWCX and DXB obtained by the two methods in diffe rent energy band is close to-1,the diffe rences in magnetospheric SWCX can be fully attributed to the diffe rences in the fitted DXB.The difference between the two methods is most significant when the energy is less than 0.7 keV,which is also the main energy band of SWCX emission.In addition,the difference between the two methods is not related to the SWCX intensity and,to some extent,to solar wind conditions,because SWCX intensity typically va ries with the solar wind.In summary,both methods are robust and reliable,and should be considered based on the best available options.

Disorder effects in NbTiN superconducting resonators

Disordered superconducting materials like NbTiN possess a high kinetic inductance fraction and an adjustable critical temperature, making them a good choice for low-temperature detectors. Their energy gap(D), critical temperature(T_(c)),and quasiparticle density of states(QDOS) distribution, however, deviate from the classical BCS theory due to the disorder effects. The Usadel equation, which takes account of elastic scattering, non-elastic scattering, and electro–phonon coupling,can be applied to explain and describe these deviations. This paper presents numerical simulations of the disorder effects based on the Usadel equation to investigate their effects on the △, Tc, QDOS distribution, and complex conductivity of the NbTiN film. Furthermore, NbTiN superconducting resonators with coplanar waveguide(CPW) structures are fabricated and characterized at different temperatures to validate our numerical simulations. The pair-breaking parameter α and the critical temperature in the pure state T_(c)^(P) of our NbTiN film are determined from the experimental results and numerical simulations. This study has significant implications for the development of low-temperature detectors made of disordered superconducting materials.

Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb–AlN–NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions

The terahertz band,a unique segment of the electromagnetic spectrum,is crucial for observing the cold,dark universe and plays a pivotal role in cutting-edge scientific research,including the study of cosmic environments that support life and imaging black holes.High-sensitivity superconductor–insulator–superconductor(SIS)mixers are essential detectors for terahertz astronomical telescopes and interferometric arrays.Compared to the commonly used classical Nb/AlO_(x)/Nb superconducting tunnel junction,the Nb/AlN/NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junction has a higher energy gap voltage and can achieve a higher critical current density.This makes it particularly promising for the development of ultra-wideband,high-sensitivity coherent detectors or mixers in various scientific research fields.In this paper,we present a superconducting SIS mixer based on Nb/AlN/NbN parallel-connected twin junctions(PCTJ),which has a bandwidth extending up to490 GHz–720 GHz.The best achieved double-sideband(DSB)noise temperature(sensitivity)is below three times the quantum noise level.

HI in High Gas-phase Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9

We present resolved Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope H I observations of the high gas-phase metallicity dwarf galaxy WISEA J230615.06+143927.9(z = 0.005)(hereafter J2306) and investigate whether it could be a Tidal Dwarf Galaxy(TDG) candidate. TDGs are observed to have higher metallicities than normal dwarfs. J2306 has an unusual combination of a blue g-r color of 0.23 mag, irregular optical morphology and high-metallicity(12 +log(O/H) = 8.68 ± 0.14), making it an interesting galaxy to study in more detail. We find J2306 to be an H I rich galaxy with a large extended, unperturbed rotating H I disk. Using our H I data we estimated its dynamical mass and found the galaxy to be dark matter(DM) dominated within its H I radius. The quantity of DM, inferred from its dynamical mass, appears to rule out J2306 as an evolved TDG. A wide area environment search reveals J2306 to be isolated from any larger galaxies which could have been the source of its high gas metallicity. Additionally, the H I morphology and kinematics of the galaxy show no indication of a recent merger to explain the high-metallicity.Further detailed optical spectroscopic observations of J2306 might provide an answer to how a seemingly ordinary irregular dwarf galaxy achieved such a high level of metal enrichment.

Cosmology-Independent Photon Mass Limits from Localized Fast Radio Bursts by Using Artificial Neural Networks

A hypothetical photon mass m_(γ) can produce a frequency-dependent vacuum dispersion of light, which leads to an additional time delay between photons with different frequencies when they propagate through a fixed distance. The dispersion measure and redshift measurements of fast radio bursts(FRBs) have been widely used to constrain the rest mass of the photon. However, all current studies analyzed the effect of the frequency-dependent dispersion for massive photons in the standard ΛCDM cosmological context. In order to alleviate the circularity problem induced by the presumption of a specific cosmological model based on the fundamental postulate of the masslessness of photons, here we employ a new model-independent smoothing technique, artificial neural network(ANN), to reconstruct the Hubble parameter H(z) function from 34 cosmic-chronometer measurements.By combining observations of 32 well-localized FRBs and the H(z) function reconstructed by ANN, we obtain an upper limit of m_(γ) ≤ 3.5 × 10^(-51)kg, or equivalently m_(γ) ≤ 2.0 × 10^(-15)eV/c^(2)(m_(γ) ≤ 6.5 × 10^(-51)kg, or equivalently m_(γ) ≤ 3.6 × 10^(-15)eV/c_(2)) at the 1σ(2σ) confidence level. This is the first cosmology-independent photon mass limit derived from extragalactic sources.

Inverse Calculation and Regularization Process for the Solar Aspect System(SAS) of HXI Payload on ASO-S Spacecraft

For the ASO-S/HXI payload, the accuracy of the flare reconstruction is reliant on important factors such as the alignment of the dual grating and the precise measurement of observation orientation. To guarantee optimal functionality of the instrument throughout its life cycle, the Solar Aspect System (SAS) is imperative to ensure that measurements are accurate and reliable. This is achieved by capturing the target motion and utilizing a physical model-based inversion algorithm. However, the SAS optical system’s inversion model is a typical ill-posed inverse problem due to its optical parameters, which results in small target sampling errors triggering unacceptable shifts in the solution. To enhance inversion accuracy and make it more robust against observation errors, we suggest dividing the inversion operation into two stages based on the SAS spot motion model. First, the as-rigid-aspossible (ARAP) transformation algorithm calculates the relative rotations and an intermediate variable between the substrates. Second, we solve an inversion linear equation for the relative translation of the substrates, the offset of the optical axes, and the observation orientation. To address the ill-posed challenge, the Tikhonov method grounded on the discrepancy criterion and the maximum a posteriori (MAP) method founded on the Bayesian framework are utilized. The simulation results exhibit that the ARAP method achieves a solution with a rotational error of roughly±3 5 (1/2-quantile);both regularization techniques are successful in enhancing the stability of the solution, the variance of error in the MAP method is even smaller—it achieves a translational error of approximately±18μm (1/2-quantile) in comparison to the Tikhonov method’s error of around±24μm (1/2-quantile). Furthermore, the SAS practical application data indicates the method’s usability in this study. Lastly, this paper discusses the intrinsic interconnections between the regularization methods.

Study on the Performance of the GRANDProto300 Particle Detector Array by Simulation

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection(GRAND)is a proposed large-scale observatory designed to detect cosmic rays,gamma-rays,and neutrinos with energies exceeding 100 Pe V.The GRANDProto300 experiment is proposed as the early stage of the GRAND project,consisting of a hybrid array of radio antennas and scintillator detectors.The latter,as a mature and traditional detector,is used to cross-check the nature of the candidate events selected from radio observations.In this study,we developed a simulation software called G4GRANDProto300,based on the Geant4 software package,to optimize the spacing of the scintillator detector array and to investigate its effective area.The analysis was conducted at various zenith angles under different detector spacings,including 300,500,600,700,and 900 m.Our results indicate that,for large zenith angles used to search for cosmic-ray in the GRAND project,the optimized effective area is with a detector spacing of 500 m.The G4GRANDProto300 software that we developed could be used to further optimize the layout of the particle detector array in future work.

Optical Transient Source AT2021lfa:A Possible“Dirty Fireball”

AT2021lfa,also known as ZTF21aayokph,was detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility on 2021 May 4,a 05:34:48 UTC.Follow-up observations were conducted using a range of ground-based optical telescopes,as wel as Swift/XRT and VLA instruments.AT2021lfa is classified as an“orphan afterglow”candidate due to its rapid flux decline and its reddened color(g-r=0.17±0.14 mag).For an optical transient source without promp gamma-ray detection,one key point is to determine its burst time.Here we measure the burst time through fitting the initial bump feature of AT2021lfa and obtain its burst time as 2021 May 3,at 22:09:50 UTC.Using afterglowpy,we model the multi-band afterglow of AT2021lfa and find that the standard model canno reproduce the late radio observations well.Considering that the microphysical parameters ε_(e),ε_(B)(the energy fraction given to electrons and magnetic field),andξN(the fraction of accelerated electrons)may vary with time we then model the afterglow of AT2021lfa taking into account the temporal evolution of the physical parameters ε_(e),ε^(B),and ξ_(N) and find in this case the multi-wavelength observations can be reproduced well.The initial Lorentz factor of AT2021lfa can be estimated from the peak time of the early afterglow,which yields a value of about 18 suggesting that AT2021lfa should be classified as a“dirty fireball.”From the upper limit for the prompt emission energy of AT2021lfa,we obtain that the radiation efficiency is less than 0.02%,which is much smaller than that of ordinary gamma-ray bursts(GRBs).It is also interesting that the fitted values of jet angle and viewing angle are very large,θ_(c)~0.66 rad,θ_(v)~0.53 rad,which may lead to the low Lorentz factor and radiation efficiency.When compared with GRB afterglow samples,it is evident that the onset bump timescale of AT2021lfa satisfies the empirical relationships observed in GRB samples.Additionally,the luminosity of AT2021lfa falls within the range of observations for GRB samples;however,approximately 1 day after the burst,its luminosity exceeds that of the majority of GRB samples.

Basic Survey Scheduling for the Wide Field Survey Telescope(WFST)

Aiming at improving the survey efficiency of the Wide Field Survey Telescope, we have developed a basic scheduling strategy that takes into account the telescope characteristics, observing conditions, and weather conditions at the Lenghu site. The sky area is divided into rectangular regions, referred to as “tiles,” with a size of2°. 577 × 2°. 634 slightly smaller than the focal area of the mosaic CCDs. These tiles are continuously filled in annulars parallel to the equator. The brightness of the sky background, which varies with the moon phase and distance from the moon, plays a significant role in determining the accessible survey fields. Approximately 50connected tiles are grouped into one block for observation. To optimize the survey schedule, we perform simulations by taking into account the length of exposures, data readout, telescope slewing, and all relevant observing conditions. We utilize the Greedy Algorithm for scheduling optimization. Additionally, we propose a dedicated dithering pattern to cover the gaps between CCDs and the four corners of the mosaic CCD array, which are located outside of the 3° field of view. This dithering pattern helps to achieve relatively uniform exposure maps for the final survey outputs.

Electromagnetic Ion Beam Instability in the Solar Corona

Remote-sensing measurements indicate that heavy ions in the corona undergo an anisotropic and mass-charge dependent energization.A popular explanation to this phenomenon is the damping of the Alfven/ion cyclotron waves.In this paper,we propose that the ion beam instability can be an important source of the Alfven/ion cyclotron waves,and we study the excitation of the ion beam instability in the corona at the heliocentric distance~3R_(⊙)and the corresponding energy transfer process therein ba sed on plasma kinetic theory.The results indicate that the existence of the motionless heavy ions inhibits the ion beam instability.However,the anisotropic beams of heavy ions promote the excitation of the ion beam instability.Besides,the existence ofαbeams can provide a second energy source for exciting beam instability.However,when both the proton beam and the a beam reach the instability excitation threshold,the proton beam driven instability excites preferentially.Moreover,the excitation threshold of the Alfven/ion cyclotron instability driven by ion beam is of the local Alfven speed or even less in the corona.

On the Identification of N-rich Metal-poor Field Stars with Future Chinese Space Station Telescope

During the long term evolution of globular clusters(GCs), some member stars are lost to the field. The recently found nitrogen-rich(N-rich) metal-poor field stars are promising candidates of these GC escapees, since N enhancement is the fingerprint of chemically enhanced populations in GCs. In this work, we discuss the possibility of identifying N-rich metal-poor field stars with the upcoming Chinese Space Station Telescope(CSST). We focus on the main survey camera with NUV, u, g, r, i, z, y filters and slitless spectrograph with a resolution about 200.The combination of UV sensitive equipment and prominent N-related molecular lines in the UV band bodes well for the identification: the color–color diagram of(u-g) versus(g-r) is capable of separating N-rich field stars from normal halo stars, if metallicity can be estimated without using the information on u-band photometry.Besides, the synthetic spectra show that a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 is sufficient to identify N-rich field stars. In the near future, a large sample of N-rich field stars found by CSST, combined with state-of-the-art N-body simulations will be crucial to deciphering GC-Galaxy co-evolution.

Application of deep learning methods combined with physical background in wide field of view imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes

The High Altitude Detection of Astronomical Radiation(HADAR)experiment,which was constructed in Tibet,China,combines the wide-angle advantages of traditional EAS array detectors with the high-sensitivity advantages of focused Cherenkov detectors.Its objective is to observe transient sources such as gamma-ray bursts and the counterparts of gravitational waves.This study aims to utilize the latest AI technology to enhance the sensitivity of HADAR experiments.Training datasets and models with distinctive creativity were constructed by incorporating the relevant physical theories for various applications.These models can determine the type,energy,and direction of the incident particles after careful design.We obtained a background identification accuracy of 98.6%,a relative energy reconstruction error of 10.0%,and an angular resolution of 0.22°in a test dataset at 10 TeV.These findings demonstrate the significant potential for enhancing the precision and dependability of detector data analysis in astrophysical research.By using deep learning techniques,the HADAR experiment’s observational sensitivity to the Crab Nebula has surpassed that of MAGIC and H.E.S.S.at energies below 0.5 TeV and remains competitive with conventional narrow-field Cherenkov telescopes at higher energies.In addition,our experiment offers a new approach for dealing with strongly connected,scattered data.

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope Project

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope(JUST)is a 4.4-meter f/6.0 segmented-mirror telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations.The JUST primary mirror is composed of 18 hexagonal segments,each with a diameter of 1.1 m.JUST provides two Nasmyth platforms for placing science instruments.One Nasmyth focus fits a field of view of 10′and the other has an extended field of view of 1.2°with correction optics.A tertiary mirror is used to switch between the two Nasmyth foci.JUST will be installed at a site at Lenghu in Qinghai Province,China,and will conduct spectroscopic observations with three types of instruments to explore the dark universe,trace the dynamic universe,and search for exoplanets:(1)a multi-fiber(2000 fibers)medium-resolution spectrometer(R=4000-5000)to spectroscopically map galaxies and large-scale structure;(2)an integral field unit(IFU)array of 500 optical fibers and/or a long-slit spectrograph dedicated to fast follow-ups of transient sources for multi-messenger astronomy;(3)a high-resolution spectrometer(R~100000)designed to identify Jupiter analogs and Earth-like planets,with the capability to characterize the atmospheres of hot exoplanets.

Spin Evolution of the Magnetar SGR J1935+2154

Fast radio bursts(FRBs)are short pulses observed in radio frequencies usually originating from cosmological distances.The discovery of FRB 200428 and its X-ray counterpart from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154suggests that at least some FRBs can be generated by magnetars.However,the majority of X-ray bursts from magnetars are not associated with radio emission.The fact that only in rare cases can an FRB be generated raises the question regarding the special triggering mechanism of FRBs.Here we report long time spin evolution of SGR J1935+2154 until the end of 2022.According to v and v,the spin evolution of SGR J1935+2154 could be divided into two stages.The first stage evolves relatively steady evolution until 2020 April 27.After the burst activity in2020,the spin of SGR J1935+2154 shows strong variations,especially for v.After the burst activity in 2022October,a new spin-down glitch with△v/v=(-7.2±0.6)×10^(-6)is detected around MJD 59876,which is the second event in SGR J1935+2154.At the end,spin frequency and pulse profile do not show variations around the time of FRB 200428 and radio bursts 221014 and 221021,which supply strong clues to constrain the trigger mechanism of FRBs or radio bursts.

Preface:Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)is the first approved solar space mission in China.This special issue includes a total of 13 papers,which were selected from presentations at the First ASO-S International Workshop,held in Nanjing from 2019 January 15 to 18.Taken together,these 13 papers provide a complete description of ASO-S until the end of Phase-B and the beginning of Phase-C.

Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S):an overview

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)is a mission proposed for the 25 th solar maximum by the Chinese solar community.The scientific objectives are to study the relationships between the solar magnetic field,solar flares and coronal mass ejections(CMEs).Three payloads are deployed:the Full-disk vector Magneto Graph(FMG),the Lyman-αSolar Telescope(LST)and the Hard X-ray Imager(HXI).ASO-S will perform the first simultaneous observations of the photospheric vector magnetic field,non-thermal imaging of solar flares,and the initiation and early propagation of CMEs on a single platform.ASO-S is scheduled to be launched into a 720 km Sun-synchronous orbit in 2022.This paper presents an overview of the mission till the end of Phase-B and the beginning of Phase-C.

Status of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory

The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)was formally approved at the end of 2017.In the past two years,ASO-S underwent its official Phase-B and Phase-C studies.The Phase-B study was successfully accomplished by the end of April 2019,and the Phase-C study is being now undertaken until August 2020.Then the flight model is planned to finish within 16 months.Around the end of 2021,ASO-S will be ready in the launch state.We briefly summarize the history of ASO-S,the phase-B studies,and the phase-C studies.

Limiting Magnitudes of the Wide Field Survey Telescope(WFST)

Expected to be of the highest survey power telescope in the northern hemisphere,the Wide Field Survey Telescope(WFST)will begin its routine observations of the northern sky since 2023.WFST will produce a lot of scientific data to support the researches of time-domain astronomy,asteroids and the solar system,galaxy formation and cosmology and so on.We estimated that the 5σlimiting magnitudes of WFST with 30 s exposure are u=22.31mag,g=23.42 mag,r=22.95 mag,i=22.43 mag,z=21.50 mag,w=23.61 mag.The above values are calculated for the conditions of airmass=1.2,seeing=075,precipitable water vapor=2.5 mm and Moon-object separation=45°at the darkest New Moon night of the Lenghu site(V=22.30 mag,Moon phaseθ=0°).The limiting magnitudes in different Moon phase conditions are also calculated.The calculations are based on the empirical transmittance data of WFST optics,the vendor provided CCD quantum efficiency,the atmospherical model transmittance and spectrum of the site.In the absence of measurement data such as sky transmittance and spectrum,we use model data.

Construction and Validation of a Geometry-based Mathematical Model for the Hard X-Ray Imager

Quantitative and analytical analysis of the modulation process of the collimator is a great challenge,and is also of great value to the design and development of Fourier transform imaging telescopes.The Hard X-ray Imager(HXI),as one of the three payloads onboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S) mission,adopts modulating Fourier-Transformation imaging technique and will be used to explore the mechanism of energy release and transmission in solar flare activities.As an important step to reconstruct the images of solar flares,accurate modulation functions of HXI are needed.In this paper,a mathematical model is developed to analyze the modulation function under a simplified condition first.Then its behavior under six degrees of freedom is calculated after adding the rotation matrix and translation change to the model.In addition,unparalleled light and extended sources are also considered so that our model can be used to analyze the X-ray beam experiment.Next,applied to the practical HXI conditions,the model has been confirmed not only by Geant4 simulations but also by some verification experiments.Furthermore,how this model helps to improve the image reconstruction process after the launch of ASO-S is also presented.